Edge-folding machine.



EDGE FOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2| 1`9I7- Patented Apr. 16,1918.

2 SHEETS--SHEET l.

Qorua, 1L m W I 5 ,m O 5 E 5 B. l. SEXAUER & H. C. S'CHULTZ.

EDGE FoLmNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, |911.

- Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T/Lg' U4' 13, and comprises the edge NETE@ @EATES PATENT FFFCF.

BENJAMIN J. SEXAUEVR AND HENRY C. SCI-IULTZ, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. f

EDGE-FOLDIN Gr MACHINE.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Y Vieateiaea api. ive, isis.

Application flied June 2, i917. serial No. 172,375.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN J. SEXAUER and HENRY C. SCHULTZ, bothcitizens of the United States, and both residents of Chicago, county'ofCook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Edge-Folding Machines, of which the following isdeclared to be a full, clear, and eXact description.

This invention relates to edge folding machines, and its primary objectis to provide a machine, automatic in its operation, and havingco-acting edge folding and clenching devices operating to fold andcleiich the edge of a sheet of foraminated or reticulated metal, such aswire mesh material. It has been designed particularly for bending orfolding down the edges of wire screen inaterial iii the manufacture offly swatters but it may be used for a great variety of purposes. Theinvention consists in theseveral novel features hereinafter fullydescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention in clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a plan of an edge folding machine embodying a simpleform of the present invention with a certain table removed; FiO. 2`is aside elevation .thereof with part of the table broken away; Fig. 3 is avertical cross section taken online 3-3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a rear viewof a fragment of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow 4 inFig. 1; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the machine looking in thedirection of the arrow 5 in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a plan of a fragment of amovable clenching jaw; Fig; 7 is a detail cross section through the edgefolders, showing a piece of wire fabric in place on the table; Fig. 8 isa vicw similar to 7, except that the edge folder is in the positionoccupied when the fold is made; Fig. 9 is an edge view of the fabricafter the fold has been made; Fig. 10 is an edgeview of said fabricafter the clenching or closing operation has been performed. j

Referring to said drawings, V10 designates a base plate, and 11 two endpiecesthat extend up from the ends of said base plate. Said end piecesare slotted in a plane at right angles to the base plate for` thereception of a lengthwise extending bar 12, which has a comparativelythin lower edge portion folder of the Vthe folder l2 .and the jawsmachine. In the operation of the machine said bar is reciprocated towardand away from the base plate 10, as will be hereinafter set forth.Supported upon the.y base plate 1.0,.is a bar 14, which extendslengthwise of the base plate and is located adjacent the path ofmovement ofbar 12; said bar 14 provides a stationary clenching jaw,which co-acts with a movable bar 17 to clanch together the two parts ofthe folded e ge. clenching jaw which is supported by the base plate 10and extends parallel with the bar 14,7and is normally spaced therefromkto permit the thin edge 13, of the folder v12 and the fabric to passtherebetween. Two guide blocks 16 are secured to the base plate 10, andhave lnotched portions 15, in which are guided the outer ends ofthemovable jaw 17. The movable jaw is reciprocated toward Said movablebar 17, comprises al and away from the stationary jaw 14,7by a vmechanism which will be presently described.

J ournaled in the end pieces 11, isa shaft 18, which is driven by anysuitable means and to said shaft are secured two folder actuating arms19, which are arranged to strike against shoulders 2O secured to Vandprojecting rearwardly from the folder 12. Said shoulders may compriseblocks fastened to the rear face of the folder 12. The proportions ofthese parts are such that during a revolution of the shaft 18, the arms19, force the folder 12 down from the position seen in Figs. 3 and 7 tothat seen in Fig. 8, at which time the arms 19, leave the shoulders 20,and permit the folder 12, to be raised. Below the shaft 18 is a rockshaft 21, which is journaled in the end pieces l1, and has two upwardlyprojecting arms 22 secured thereto, which arms engage with theundersides of shoulders 23, (see Fig. 3) which project rearwardly fromthe folder 12. A coiled spring 24, encircles'the shaft 21, and has oneend secured to said shaft and the other end secured to the adjacentendpiece 11. lSaid spring operates to swing the arins 22, in thedirection of the arrow thereon in Fig. 3, thereby returning the folder12, to its upper orformer position. It sometimes happens coines wedgedbetween the thin portion of 14l and 17and means are provided forpositively lifting the folder out of its engagement with said fabric. Inthe form shown in the drawings,

said means comprise an arm 25, secured to the shaft 18, and an arm 26,secured to the rock shaft 21, and lying in the path of rotation of thearm 25. The parts are so timed that after the arms 19 have lowered thefold-er 12, the arm 25, is in position to engage the arm 26, and turnthe rock shaft 21, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3

sutliciently to disengage the thin portion 13, 'of the 'folder 12, fromthe fabric whichV it has folded; thereafter the spring 24, acts toreturn the folder 12 to its former position. A bar 11A, secured to theend pieces 11, limits the lupward movement of the folder 12.

The means for reciprocating the movable jaw 17, may comprise lugs 27,secured to the shaft 18, levers 28, lying in the paths of edge strikesthe movement of said lugs and pivoted atV their lower ends to the endpieces 11, and links 29, connected to said'levers 28, and to the movablejaw 17 by screws or rivets 30, 31. The upper end of the levers 28, arev1n the paths of vmovements of the lugs, and once yduring each cycle ofrevolution of the shaft 18, said lugs 27, engage the levers 28, and'swing them in the direction of the arrow thereon in Fig. 2, therebydrawing the bar 17 toward the bar 14. Coiled tension "springs 32, aresecured to the levers 28, :by pins or rivets 33, and also secured by thebase plate l0 by pins 34, 'and said springs 32, act to return the levers28, and therewith `the links 29, and movable jaw 17 to former position.A guide bar 36 is `secured to the stationary jaw 14, and fixes thelocation of the 'edge to be folded.

I `We have found that the best results are obtained by feeding thematerial which is to be folded toward the folding devices at an vangleof approximately 45 degrees, and have shown a table, 35, located infront of the folding devices, Yand extending at an angle ofapproximately 45 degrees thereto; said 'table may be secured to the baseplate 'or to any other accessible portion ofthe machine. j

ln the operation of the device, the shaft 18,'is rotated'inthe'direction of the arrow, in Fig. 3, either continuously orintermittently one revolution at a time. The sheet of fabric A, to beoperated on, is placed on the itable'35 with an edge parallel with thefolders, .and moved .along the table until said guide bar 36. During onerevolution of the shaft 18, the arms 19 first encounter the vshoulders20 of thefolder 12, (see Fig. 3) and move the latter .down to theposition shown on Fig. 8, thereby folding up the edge as shown in 'saidFig. 8 and '24. When the vbar reaches its lower-most position the arms19 ride 0H the entire shoulders 20, and the spring 24 .turns-x the shaftback and therewith the arms 22 which raise the folder 12. In case thefolder is wedged between the jaws 14, 17, the arm 25 strikes the arm 26on the shaft 21 and turns said shaft and Atherewith positively lifts thefolder .12 by means of the arms Immediately afterrthe lower edge portion13 of the folder V12 has risen above jaws 14, 17, the lugs 27 strikesthe levers 28, swing themin the direction Vof the arrow thereon 'in Fig.2, thereby drawing the links 29 andy l jaw 17 toward the right as viewedin Ysaid Fig. 2 and thereby clenching the folded edge against theadjacent part of vthe. fabric. W hen the lugs 27 have passed the levers'28, the springs 32 return the levers 28 and therewith the links 29 andjaw 17 to normal position. Y

More or less variation of the exact details of yconstruction ispossifble'without departing from the spirit Aof this invention; we vdesire, therefore, not 'to limit ourselves to lhe exact form ofconstruction shown and described, but intend in the'following lclaims topoint out all of the invention disclosed herein. f

We claim as new Letters Patent:

1. ln a machine for folding and clenching rdown vedges of metal sheets,'a pair of clenching jawsV having straight faces, and one movableltoward and away from `the other, an edge folder having a compara- 100tively thin edge folding portion, and movable -at right angles to theplane of movemen-t of said jaw from fan `inoperative posi- Ation to onebetweenthe jaws, a'singl-e rot-atory shaft having means thereon directly105 engaging said ledge folder and arranged to depress the same, arockshaft having means thereon .directly engagingl said edge folder, andmoved in one direction thereby, 'a spring for turning said Lrock shaftin a direction 110 kopposite Ito that imparted lto it -`by the ldownwardmovement yof the edge folder, links secured to said-movable jaw, lugs onsaid rotatory shaft 'for moving said links, 'and therewith said movablejaw inone direction, 115 and springs for retracting Vsaid linksgand jaw.

2. In a machine for folding and elenchi-ng down edges of Vmetall sheets,`a reciprocatory edge folder having Ya thin edge portion, 120 guidemembers in Vwhich said folder is guided, a pair of clenching'jaws'having -iiat working faces, .one of said jaws Ibein-g movable towardand away from the other jaw in a plane transverse to the plane of move-125 ment of said folder, va rotatery shaft, aplarality of arms securedto -said shaft adjacent the 'ends of said `edge folder and arranged Atolengage the 'upper sides of shoulders on vand desire to secure by 'saidfolder and thereby `move y'said folder 13o toward and between said jaws,a rock shaft, a plurality of arms secured thereto and engaging the undersides of shoulders on said folder, a coiled spring surrounding said rockshaft and acting to turn said rock shaft and thereby move the armsthereon, and therewith the folder away from the jaws, links connected tothe ends of said movable jaw, levers connected to said links, lugs onsaid rotatory shaft arranged to strike said levers and thereby move saidlevers, links and movable jaw to clench down the folded edge of thematerial, and springs secured to said levers for retracting the same.

3. In a machine for folding and clenching down edges of metal fabrics, areciprocatory edge folder having a thin edge folding Copie: o! thispatent may be obtained for thereon, links connected to the clenchingjaw, and levers connected to the links and extending into the paths ofmovement of the last mentioned lugs, and a table arranged to support thesheet to be operated on, at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to theplanes of movement of the folder and jaw.

BENJAMIN J. SEXAUER. HENRY C. SCHULTZ.

Washington, D. C.

